Inverse gas chromatography of wool

The chemical nature of the surface of wool fibers has been examined by inverse gas chromatography. The C 1 –C 5 linear alcohols were injected into wool‐packed gas chromatography columns and their retention volumes measured. True adsorption studies could be made because the C 2 –C 5 alcohols were able to be eluted from the wool columns without absorption into the fibers. Decreases in the retention volume of ethanol during drying of a wool column were interpreted as polar groups at the surface of the wet wool orientating to lie in the bulk of the fiber as the gas phase became less polar. Heats of adsorption for ethanol and propanol on wool were measured. A comparison of both untreated and chlorinated wool columns and columns packed with ion exchange resins showed that the polar sorption sites on wool were of the sulfonic acid type. In contrast, on chlorinated wool, sulfonic groups were not very active in the retention of alcohols.